The Girl in the Mirror
by Child Of the Faeries
Summary: This is a story that will end up as a Mimato... Mimi gets pulled into a world where a man waits to fulfill her every desire..... And Yamato must free her from his deadly spell. Chapter One is up so far.
1. The World Beyond

The Girl in the Mirrorby Child of the Faeries  
  
Wow oh wow... I am really proud of this once. A Mimato with a dark, and almost evil twist....This *is* a Mimato, I promise.... It's just a bit.. odd.. and roundabout. Basically, I was angry at the way they made Yamato look in 02.. he sounded like a bubblehead almost every time he opened his mouth. That was NOT the Ishida Yamato we have grown to love- the dark, angry, rebel that secretly was the most loyal one of them all. It made me so sad..... so here's a dark story about Yamato returning to his roots.....  
  
  
  
Mimi pulled gently on the end of her hair, trying to make it perfect. With a sigh, she flung the pink tresses over her shoulder and glanced in the mirror.  
  
The girl in the mirror blinked her cinnamon eyes, and tossed her head back contemptuously, her blond curls dancing as her laughter reverberated off of the mirror walls. She leaned forward, banging her fist into the glass.  
  
Mimi blinked, and the girl in the mirror faded, replaced by Mimi's usual reflection. She frowned, trying to make sense of it all, but already the memory was fading.  
  
"Mimi, what are you doing?" her mother said, her tone annoyed. Mimi turned around, her face startled. It was as if she had just awoke from a horrible nightmare, and the dream was eluding her, just beyond the realm of her memory. "Are you okay?" her mother asked, concern spelled across her face.  
  
"I'm fine...." Mimi said slowly, not really understanding the words that were coming from her chapped lips.  
  
"All right...." her mother murmured, glancing around the room. "I'll let you finish getting ready."  
  
"We're already running late," Mimi said, her voice vaguely abstract. "I don't want to be late for school."  
  
"Are you sure you're okay? You look sick, Mimi."  
  
"I'm fine," Mimi assured her mother, pulling her bedroom door shut.  
  
The girl in the mirror watched all of this with cold, sagacious eyes.  
  
  
  
Opening her locker, Mimi sighed. All day she had felt strange... disconcerted. Like Fate was rushing in around her, trapping her, squeezing the life out of her....  
  
Rummaging through her purse, her fingers tumbled over tubes of lipstick and eyeshadow, sliding over the glossy surface of her mirror. A small shock ran through her body, a shivery force that made her eyes open slightly and a small gasp escape from her lips. There was pain....  
  
"Mimi?" a voice said softly, and abruptly the spell vanished. Yamato's ice blue eyes peered into her, his face calm. "You were spacing out." A small smile crossed her lips, but her eyes remained distant. Yamato looked amused.  
  
She rose to her feet, tottering a bit on her heels, and he extended a hand to help her catch her balance. "It's been one of those days," she said, her head sinking down. "Everything seems to be going wrong."  
  
"I'm sorry, Mimi-chan," he said softly. He lifted his hand to brush her cheek, but paused in mid-air. "Are you coming over to Jyou's tonight? We can walk over there together if you are."  
  
Hesitation crossed her face. "I.....I guess I can," she muttered, looking at the ground. "Will you wait for me while I run into the washroom really quick?"  
  
Yamato's smile was like quicksilver. "Don't take too long in there." He leaned against her locker, and she slowly walked away, lost in the fluid stream of people that flowed through the school.   
  
Walking away, she stopped halfway to the bathroom, and looked back to where she had left Yamato. His golden hair had fallen across his face, and he seemed to be lost in thought.  
  
Angrily she turned the faucet on, feeling the cold water rush onto her hands. How quickly he had forgotten, she thought softly. Absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder- it makes the heart go yonder.   
  
"You were a fool, thinking he would still love you. You were gone for three years!" she said bitterly to herself. "And yet....you thought... that maybe he was different." Scorn crossed her face. "Foolish, foolish you."  
  
Reaching up to grab some paper towels, she looked into the mirror. The girl in the mirror smiled coyly at her, whispering something. Her blond hair lifted lightly in the wind.  
  
"What?" Mimi whispered, her eyes filled with confusion. This girl was her... and yet it wasn't her. "Who are you?"  
  
A fragile melody started.... faintly at first, but with growing speed and strength. It was a hymn of desolation.  
  
The girl in the mirror continued her frightening charade, banging against the glass and laughing. "What do you want from me?" Mimi murmured, fear in her eyes.  
  
Slowly her hands rose in the air, as if propelled by some force that she could not stop. "Why do you want me?" she whispered, her fingers caressing the glass frame.  
  
The pain was real now, melancholy driving deep within the marrow of her soul. She felt a wave of horror wash over her, a blinding, scorching, lacerating swell of anger backlashing in the corners of her mind. She closed her eyes, her will resisting while her body trembled, and committed her soul to the world beyond.  
  
Suddenly she felt her fingers slipping through the glass, slicing through the crystalline ice with the slightest flick of her wrist. Her hair rose high into the air, teased by the currents of liquid glass, changing to gold. Fabric the color of sapphire wrapped itself gently around her wrist, encasing her in a stunning dress the color of running water.  
  
Pure joy, unadulturated and unbidden crept into her mind, and she knew what it felt like to fly. She spread her arms out, her laughter echoing in the eerie stillness of the liquid glass. Breathing in, she was filled with liquid happiness, intoxication chasing away any fears.  
  
Too soon, the glass set her gently on the ground and faded away. Mimi rose softly to her feet, examining the world that was set before her.   
  
The fabric billowed around her as she walked, and she felt like a princess walking alone in her garden. Rosebushes and trees shaded the walkways, the whole world dancing in vibrant colors not found on earth. A butterfly flitted across the sky, it's jeweled wings glittering in the light of the sun. Mimi laughed, the wind twirling through her hair.   
  
High in one of the trees, a songbird sang, filling the whole valley with it's subtle sonnet. Mimi shaded her eyes and tried to find the elusive bird, but it was nowhere to be found.  
  
Instead, she stumbled slightly, and found herself gazing across a large pond. Shock set across her face as she looked into the translucent water, amazed by her own reflection.  
  
She looked older somehow... her eyes more enhanced, simmering like hot coals in a fire. Looking down at her blue dress like she had never noticed it before, she was excited to see how thin her waist seemed, and how becoming the dress looked on her.  
  
Her laughter rang out.   
  
She was the girl in the mirror.  
  
  
  
Yamato glanced impatiently at his watch. Mimi had been in the bathroom for more than a half an hour already, and he was starting to get worried. Something seemed wrong.   
  
As Miyako walked by, Yamato caught her wrist. "Hey Miyako... can you check on Mimi for me? She's been in the bathroom for an awful long time."  
  
The girl's face was annoyed. "Yamato... I'm already late for my date with Koushiro... but..." She gave in when she looked into Yamato's eyes. "I guess I can do it... anything for a friend.."  
  
She walked into the bathroom, and Yamato resumed leaning against the lockers. Any moment now Mimi would walk out, and the two of them could go over to Jyou's house...  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Yamato," Miyako said almost crossly. "Mimi's not in there."  
  
"What do you mean?" he protested, his eyes livid. "I watched her walk in there! She has to be in there!"  
  
Miyako shook her head sadly. "Well, she's not."  
  
"I don't believe you," he said crossly, pushing open the doors to the bathroom himself. He walked back and forth, looking everywhere. "I saw her go in here!" he said angrily, and Miyako rolled her eyes.   
  
"Looks like she pulled a fast one over you," she teased, giving him a small shove in the back. "Catch you later!"   
  
The purple haired girl trotted out of the bathroom, and Yamato stood alone, gazing at his sorrowful expression in the mirror.  
  
  
  
Mimi spun circles, butterflies shooting up out of the grass in blankets of fluttering wings. "It's so beautiful," she said finally, sinking into the knee-deep grass.  
  
"I hope you like it," a male voice said softly, and Mimi jumped. Immediately she rose to her feet.   
  
"Who are you?" she hissed, fear springing to her eyes. The darkened shaped let out a small sigh.  
  
"I am Daemon," he said finally, stepping into the light. "This is my world... my world I share with you."  
  
Mimi recoiled. She remembered what the others had said about Daemon... about his spirit of darkness. "What are you doing here?"  
  
The demon looked at her sadly, his monstrous shape appearing a bit haggard. "Like I said, this is my world. This is my sanctuary," he said softly, lifting his hands, and butterflies darted into the sky.  
  
Mimi backed further away. "Why am I here then?"  
  
The demon gazed at her with wise eyes, unsure of what to say. "I... brought you here.... because I love you," he admitted slowly, and Mimi felt a surge of emotion rock her body. Revolt reached her eyes first, conquering her compassion.  
  
"I will never love you," she snorted, contempt in her voice. "That's not natural."  
  
The demon's eyes shone in a odd light, and a small smile flitted across his face. Taking his two demonic hands, he placed them on his face, and the sickening smell of burning flesh filled the field. Mimi covered her eyes and tried not to vomit.  
  
Red-hot light poured from the place that Daemon stood, until the crimson wave engulfed him completely. His anguished screams of pain and mercy ran chills down Mimi's spine, and she felt the pinpricks of tears in her eyes. Such pain...  
  
The light disappeared completely, and the muffled cried of anguish faded into silence. Mimi looked up, afraid of what she would see.  
  
A man looked at her, his features almost indescribable. Black hair fell in front of his eyes, which glimmered like coal in the bright light. His clothing fit him like a second-skin, dark as midnight, and a defiant smirk graced his face. There was a fire behind his gaze- an arrogant fire that frightened her-- and yet a part of Mimi's soul longed to touch it, to savor the danger.   
  
"Are we so different now?" Daemon whispered, and Mimi felt as though she was trapped in a hideous spiderweb. Daemon leered over her, his smile bewitching.  
  
"Why did you choose me?" she cried out suddenly, and Daemon's face filled with surprise.  
  
"I have watched over you since you were a little girl," he admitted. "I was there the day you built the memorials for all of your lost friends on the beach. I could see your pain- feel your pain- here, deep within my heart. It was then that I realized that there was something different about you." He paused. "I wasn't the only one that noticed your uniqueness. There was another. A boy."  
  
Mimi hung her head low. "Yamato," she breathed softly, as if afraid to say the name.  
  
"Yes... Yamato. And how deliciously dangerous it was to fall in love with him. He was the rebel, the outcast. So cold and aloof... No one could touch his heart. That attracted you, didn't it? You wanted to do something daring and different, love someone moody and rebellious."  
  
"And what if I did?" Mimi challenged, her eyes glimmering with rage.  
  
"But he changed. Gone is that rebellious spirit that you loved, the dangerously angry side of Yamato that he tried to hide. It's not there anymore, is it? He has become just another pretty face in the crowd." Mimi tried to think of something to say, but knew that he was right. "One after another, our dreams must come crashing down," Daemon said gently, his hand reaching out towards Mimi. "But here, you will be safe. Yamato cannot hurt you if you stay with me."  
  
"Yamato never hurt me!" Mimi screeched. "He was nothing less than the best friend a person could have."  
  
"Nothing less... and yet, nothing more. You wanted him to be something more, didn't you? You thought you two were," he said darkly, dropping the word with sarcasm, "soulmates." Their eyes met, and Mimi felt betrayed. "He broke your heart."  
  
"And what if he did? Why do you care?" Mimi whispered, her will to resist fading. Tears were springing already to her eyes.  
  
"I already told you. I love you. It seems I have always loved you," Daemon said, pulling a flower from the ground and blowing it at Mimi. It hovered in mid-air before she took hold of the stem and placed it gently behind her ear. "Don't cry now, my dear Mimi. Everything will be okay." He crept closer to her, and she unfolded into his arms, her body wracking with selfish tears for misplaced love.  
  
  
  



	2. Yamato Enters the World Beyond

The Girl in the Mirror (2)by Child of the Faeries  
  
I never thought I'd write one of those Digimon/Human fics....*sighs* oh well.. an idea came to me, and I went with it. So sue me....I know this is a weird fic, and this chapter is filled with utmost confusion on my part.. but I like it. Mimi has found a dark side within herself that she never knew she possessed, but her heart refuses to let go to a lingering memory in the past....  
  
  
  
Mimi sat on the grass alone, the wind whispering things gently in her ears. She sighed, contented in this world. There were no problems here, no broken hearts and lost dreams. No angry tears staining her pillows, angry words coming from her mouth. No bitterness rising in her eyes.  
  
Inside and out, her countenance was tranquil, reflecting on everything. In her hands she played with a small flower, pulling gently on the petals.  
  
"It's getting late," she remarked to Daemon, noting the gorgeous red sun sinking behind the horizon. "We need to find some place to spend the night."  
  
Daemon gave her a lazy grin. He moved to her side, his eyes flashing brightly. "Close your eyes," he instructed softly, his hands taking hold of hers. "Let go of all your coherent thoughts, and let them drift away. They no longer matter." He gazed at her figure, his eyes growing distant and cold.   
  
She gasped as she rose in the air, her hair fanning out like serpents. They swirled outwards, and she screamed in pain. When her eyes flew opened, there was a flash of blue lightening, and she tumbled to the ground, her blue dress covering her face.  
  
"You can get up," Daemon said, a hint of laughter in his voice. The ground felt cold against her warm flesh, and as she rose, she was surprised to find marble, not grass.   
  
"What?" she said, spinning in a confused circle. Where trees, grass, and flowers had stood just moments before was a large marble ballroom. Red velvet drapes covered the huge windows, and candlelight flickered from every corner of the room.  
  
"You wished it here," Daemon said softly. "You just haven't realized your power yet."  
  
"My power?" Mimi said slowly, as if testing the words.  
  
"The power I have given you," Daemon said a bit harshly. "I can take it away." Something ugly reared up in his eyes, unnoticed by him, and unstoppable.A cloud of darkness covered him, like a shroud.  
  
Mimi's eyes sprang open in fear. "What's going on?" she whispered fearfully, moving a step away from him.  
  
His human face contorted horrifically, and for a moment his body flickered. Bracing his arms, he glared at her, brushing his black hair from in front of his eyes. "I am darkness incarnate," he said slowly, choosing his words well. " I feed off the darkness of fear. The darkness of hate. The darkness of greed." His eyes fell on her, and she felt the darkness ascend into her soul, dimming the light that shone brightly in her eyes.  
  
She suddenly knew what Yamato had felt like when he had left the group, her hope, love, heart being wrenched from within. She could see the world as Ken had seen it, pitiless and cruel, people being fools.  
  
"I have more power than you would ever believe," Daemon said coldly, his face shining with insincerity. "And yet all I ever wanted was to be real, like you. To feel emotions and love and experience life."  
  
"You could change," Mimi breathed deeply, her heart racing inside her body. He reached out, pulling her close. She struggled slightly, turning her head from him, but he was stronger and held her where she was.   
  
His eyes were filled with fury and agony as he pulled her face closer to his, darkness clouding the light as their lips met. Sparks emitted from his eyes.  
  
Mimi screamed, her whole body wracked with pain, washing over her like hot coals. It felt like her soul was being ripped right out of her frame...  
  
As the darkness swept over her one last time, she felt herself giving up. She could see Daemon in her mind, cloaked by eternal darkness. A vampire. Dreamslayer. His eyes were mocking her.  
  
"Ya....Yamato..." she breathed softly, feeling her feet give out from underneath her. She was tumbling towards the ground at a sickening rate, her lips still burning from where Daemon kissed her.  
  
Then all went black.   
  
Daemon licked his lips nervously as he gazed at the huddled mass of flesh that was laying on the ground at his feet. "I can never change," he muttered sullenly. " I wish I could... but I can't."  
  
Gently he lifted Mimi up and kissed the back of her neck, feeling the darkness pump through her veins like blood.  
  
  
  
His cold blue eyes were focused on the ocean, inhaling deeply from the cigarette he held aloft in trembling hands. His confusion swirled slowly away as the nicotine settled in the very marrow of his bones, and he was able to read the letter he held in his hands once more.  
  
His eyes scanned the paper, skipping the opening trivialities about Koushiro and Miyako's wedding. His heart jumping like a jackhammer, he felt his fingers fall on the lines once more. "Yamato... let it go. Mimi's gone. She's never coming back."  
  
A curse slipped through his parched lips, and he inhaled once from his cigarette. Was Koushiro right? Had Mimi really vanished without a trace?  
  
"How long ago was it that I last saw you?" he mumbled out loud. "Six years? Seven? Where did you go, Mimi-chan?" His face was filled with confusion. "I needed you."  
  
In his mind he could still see her like it was yesterday, her pink hair falling gently in front of her face while she gazed at him in open adoration...He had always loved the way her eyes sparkled like cinnamon in the light, and the way her slender hand fit perfectly into his.  
  
His thoughts fell quicker now, creating a huge tidewave that consumed everything and left him feeling empty and alone. It had been seven years since she disappeared from the school bathroom without a word.  
  
"I know you're out there," he said softly, a tear falling from his eye. Throwing his cigarette to the ground, he crushed it roughly under his shoe and headed towards the subway station.  
  
  
  
  
Years passed in a matter of moments, and while Mimi knew there was something different about her, she didn't care about what it was. Her jaded eyes searched the mansion, looking for Daemon. Fingering through her memories, she could vaguely remember kissing him... and after that, everything was a blur.  
  
She sat beside the reflecting pool, smiling at how beautiful she had grown. Even now, her cheekbones seemed higher, and she carried her head with a graceful refinement. Her darkened eyes flickered slightly as she dipped her fingers in the water, letting a few drops dance across her skin.  
  
Jyou. Jyou had always hated the water.  
  
She blinked, surprised by her sudden thoughts of home, and comfort. Everything seemed so alien here.  
  
Sora, her laughter rising high above the cheerful campfire.  
  
"Go away," Mimi whispered brokenly.  
  
Yamato playing the harmonica, his blond hair ruffling in the wind. His hand reaching to catch her when she fell.  
  
"Fools," she said slowly, her face darkening. She suddenly looked less lovely, filled with a vengeance. "Leave me alone! I am happy here!" Her voice was choked. "I'm happy here!"  
  
Daemon's hands found their way around her waist, and she shuddered. "Did I scare you?" he asked, his face thoughtful.   
  
She shook her head. He seemed to glow with an unholy light, more alive than ever before.   
  
She flicked her fingers, and platters laden with food appeared, floating precariously in the air. "Hungry?"  
  
He waved his hand, and the food disappeared. "I don't need to eat." Her face betrayed her sudden flash of anger. He turned around, his eyes glowing even brighter now. "You are angry with me. Why?"  
  
"I'm not angry with you," she replied somberly. "I'm angry at someone else."  
  
"Now, who could this person be?" Daemon mused out loud, his voice teasing. A golden harmonica appeared in the air, flashing and spinning. "Not our dear Yamato, surely."  
  
An angry dark wave flew from Mimi's side and crushed the illusion of the harmonica into golden cinders. "I guess that answers my own question," he said, his voice a bit perturbed.  
  
Mimi looked at the floor. "When we were younger, he always stood up for me, no matter if I was right or wrong. And when I broke into tears, unable to continue, it was him that dried them on his sleeve, promising sunrays and happy days were right around the bend. He believed in me," she whispered, looking up at Daemon sadly. "But I knew he was no good for me, I knew that he would break my heart." She lowered her head slightly, clearing her throat. "I didn't care. I was willing to roll the dice of chance to gain his affection... and I guess I lost."  
  
A small smiled crossed Mimi's face.... dark and twisted. She turned towards Daemon, her eyes glittering with menace. "I want to bring him here."  
  
Daemon's eyes flew open, but he said nothing for a great while. "He would destroy the serenity of this mirror world," he said softly. "This world merely mirrors what the other world, the real world, tends to hide in the shadows."  
  
"I know this," Mimi said through gritted teeth. "But you said I could have anything I wanted. And I want Yamato. Now."  
  
Daemon licked his lips. Her greed and anger was making him stronger. "If that is what you truly want," he said slowly, lifting his hands in front of him. A huge ball of liquid blue fire twisted in his hands, and he stretched it above his head, Mimi watching in awe as he ripped a hole between the two worlds.  
  
On the other side, Mimi could hear the laughter of children. How strange it sounded. Cars and buses zoomed up the street, honking and screeching. The multitude of voices melted together, creating an continuous stream of noise.  
  
Mimi blinked, and waves of energy circled around the two of them, blowing the drapes in the air and sending chairs spiraling to the other side of the room. The sheer malevolence frightened something in the back of Mimi's mind, but she turned away from it, laughter welling up her heart. She laughed coarsely, and the violence increased.   
  
Finally Daemon lowered his hands, and the winds died down. He gazed emptily at Mimi with an odd look of sadness etched across his face. "It is done."  
  
At his feet lay the huddled mass that was Yamato.  
  
  
  
"Yamato." At the sound of her voice, he stirred, rubbing his head slightly. That was one heck of a nightmare...  
  
"You're so different," Mimi whispered in horror, scarcely believing her eyes. Before her was not the Yamato she had left. He was older now... in his late twenties. His face was gaunt and tiredly looking, his body fully developed and strong.  
  
He looked at her, as if trying to remember her face from the back on his mind. Finally he opened his lips, only mouthing the words. "Mimi...."  
  
"What are you going to do with him?" Daemon asked softly, his voice filled with worry. Mimi had forgotten he was in the room.  
  
"I will make him pay for all of the sins he committed against me," she whispered in a venomous voice. "I will see that he suffers." With a swish of her dress, she turned away.  
  
Yamato's face betrayed his confusion. "Mimi-"  
  
Daemon stepped in front of him, and Yamato recoiled. "What are you doing here? And what do you want with Mimi?" Yamato whispered, and Daemon's eyes glittered demonically.  
  
"You are intruding in a world you do not belong," Daemon hissed. "But I shall have my fun while Mimi torments you." For a moment, his face appeared weary. "Do you know what her last word was before my darkness consumed her soul?" Yamato shook his head. "She cried out for you to help her. But you did not help her then, and you cannot help her now."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I am the keeper of her soul now. I give her anything she wants. Anything. How could you even begin to compare to me?" Daemon asked, his tone mocking.   
  
"Mimi would never join you," Yamato spat out contemptuously, and Daemon laughed.   
  
"You've been away for many years, sweet, honest Yamato. Times have changed. I have changed her. She now bears a darkness that cannot be stopped, and she will remain at my side forever."  
  
Yamato felt a shift of anger rise in his soul, a thrust of power that had been absent for many years. It was like his anger was consuming him, drowning him in a lake of fire, and the dangerous flames danced in his eyes. "I will not accept that."  
  
Daemon laughed again cruelly. "She is not the girl you once knew. She loves me now."  
  
"No." Yamato's voice was strong. "I've been separated from her for years now, and you ripped her life away from her. She will turn against you, because she loves me."  
  
Daemon's thoughts began to swirl inside his head. "Is that the best you can do?" he screamed, fury in his eyes. He rose his hand and flung Yamato into the hall, a table crashing into him. "You have no power over her."  
  
"I will take you on anytime for Mimi," Yamato said shakily, wiping the blood from in front of his eyes. A large gash ran down his face.  
  
"I will kill you now," Daemon screamed, red hate in his voice.  
  
"Daemon." Her voice was like cold water down their spines. Mimi's eyes flashed as she walked between them. She looked at Yamato, his body bruised and battered from where the table connected with him.   
  
She turned towards Daemon, her eyes only a slit. Yamato sighed in relief, knowing that she was stop this insanity.  
  
Her smile didn't settle his nerves any. "He is mine to destroy. Do you understand? MINE. I don't want to catch you touching him ever again," she said bitterly, and the air around them fell a few degrees colder.  
  
"Mimi.....I......" Daemon hung his head low.  
  
"I will kill him when the time comes," she replied, extinguishing all hope that remained in Yamato's eyes.  
  
  
  
Yamato sat alone in an abandoned hallway, watching a spider spin it's web. He had been alone for several hours, and found the silence comforting.  
  
"Why didn't you come when I needed you?" Mimi's voice asked hesitantly from the shadows. "I was all alone and scared."  
  
Yamato turned suddenly to face her. "I tried. But no one would help me."  
  
"So you left me here to die? In the hands of Daemon? I thought you were a better friend than that." Her voice was frigid.  
  
"Mim-" Yamato broke off, staring into her eyes. When he spoke, his voice sounded broken. "Do you love him?"  
  
Mimi stepped out of the shadows, her newly acquired silver dress shimmering in the dim lighting. "As much as a prisoner can love her captor."  
  
"He gives you whatever freedom you want," Yamato said softly, and Mimi's eyes glimmered, as if she was about to cry.  
  
" He gives me power.... but with that power, he denies the one thing that I truly long for." She glared at him, her fragile veil of innocence fading. "You still don't understand, do you?"  
  
Yamato's eyes gazed at her openly.   
  
She flung her fist against the wall, smashing it against the cold stone. "I wanted your love," she hissed. "Your affection. I wanted you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you loved me because I was beautiful and sweet and wonderful." She choked back tears. "I wanted you to say the words."  
  
"Talk is cheap- it doesn't mean anything," Yamato said, his voice growing equally cold. "I once knew a girl who was so sweet and kind that everyone loved her for who she was. There was something different about her- a place deep within my chaffed heart responded to her sincerity, and I wanted to tell her how I felt." He looked up, catching her eye.  
  
"But every time I got up the nerve, I would remember what happened to my family. Love doesn't exist." He looked away. "Talk IS cheap, Mimi-chan... and saying the words doesn't make them real."  
  
She cursed at him, spitting on the ground. "That is why you will die," she sneered, turning away and disappearing down the hallways. But inside her heart was breaking.  
  
Once she had gone far enough away, she leaned against the wall and let huge, salty tears roll from her eyes. Yamato was such a stranger that she barely knew him anymore.. and yet... when she looked into her eyes.... her knees felt weak.  
  
She cursed him again, sliding to the floor. "I never should have make Daemon bring you here. It's not safe."  
  
  
  
"What are you doing?" Mimi asked, peering over Daemon's shoulder. He was huddled over a few bubbling tubes of chemicals, his handsome face racked with wrinkles.  
  
"I'm working on a formula to turn me human," Daemon said, giving her a sympathetic grin. "This...form isn't real, you know," he said, gesturing down at his humanesque body. "It's just an illusion."  
  
"Why does it matter so much that you are a human?" Mimi asked. "I love you for who you are, not who you pretend to be."  
  
Silence reigned through out the room. "I can tell you still love him by the way you look at him," Daemon said suddenly. "I thought... maybe, if I was a human, you would love me like that."  
  
She laughed, but her face displayed some fear. "I said I would stay here with you forever."  
  
Daemon's face was lined with ironic mirth. "But you also said that you would never love me, because that wouldn't be natural. If I was a human.... it would be the same as your love for Yamato. Then we could be free of him at last."  
  
"Leave him alone!" she cried out suddenly. Her face trembled."I....I love him."  
  
Daemon rose from the table, vials spilling everywhere. "What did you say?" he asked, grabbing hold of her throat. She struggled against him, trying to catch her breath.  
  
"I love him," she murmured weakly. "And I don't want to see him hurt."  
  
He laughed, an ominous rumble. "This obsession has gone on far too long," he stated, letting Mimi free. "I am going to rid us of the problem."  
  
"Daemon.... what are you doing to do?" Mimi gasped in horror. Daemon grinned, and flashed a silver dagger in front of her eyes.  
  
"I'm going to kill him."  
  
"Daemon..... no..." she pleaded, dropping to her knees. "I'll do anything. Anything."  
  
He paused, his body shaking with anger. "Even die for him?" Daemon asked, his eyes suddenly filled with violent rage. "Would you allow me to kill you, spilling your perfect blood on my clothes, just to save his miserable life?"  
  
Their eyes met, and the two glared into each other's darkened chasms of their soul. "I would do it gladly," Mimi threatened, her eyes alight with her power.  
  
"Then I shall kill you before his very eyes, so he will know the sacrifice you have made," Daemon hissed, grabbing her wrists and pulling her down the halls to where she had left Yamato.  



End file.
